A wide variety of island arrangements have been used for supporting a pump that dispenses fluid from a tank. One such arrangement commonly used to support one or more pumps that dispense combustible liquids is in the form of a concrete island that is separated a distance from the tank. Typically, the island has a platform surface for mounting a pump thereon and may contain a piping access opening in the platform surface. Piping, which runs underground or aboveground overhead of the pump, allows fluid to be transferred from the tank to the pump.
In one such commercially successful island design heretofore utilized by applicant, the island consists of a generally rectangular concrete pad that is cast in place at the installation site a distance away from a combustible fluid container. The pad has an upraised platform surface for mounting a pump thereon and a lip around the periphery of the pad for creating an open leakage containment basin around the pump. To protect the pump from damage by errant vehicles, an upright concrete-filled pipe standard is cast in the pad on either side of the platform surface. Fluid from the tank is transferred by underground piping which passes through an access opening in the platform surface to connect to the pump.
Although applicant's prior art island construction described above has enjoyed substantial commercial acceptance and success, improvements nonetheless remain desirable. For example, the concrete pad of the island is separately constructed a distance from the tank increasing construction and installation costs, while piping for the installation is laid underground increasing the chance for an environmentally contaminating leak. Constructing the pad as a separate component at the installation site requires more time and expense to install than if the pad were precast as part of the container construction and installed with the container. Since the island and tank are separated by a distance, any shifting, settling or abrupt movement of either component can cause the underground piping to rupture possibly releasing combustible fluid into the environment. Furthermore, placing the piping in potentially corrosive underground surroundings can affect the structural integrity of the piping over time which can result in leakage or unanticipated failure.